The National candidate for the Maungakiekie Tamaki Auckland Council by election is complaining that if the Labour candidate wins it will trigger a costly by election. But he is ignoring the fact that the three current by elections have all been caused by National endorsed local government representatives resigning.
Over the past 24 hours Trump has threatened war by comparing button sizes with Kim Jon Un and Steve Bannon has described Trump Campaign’s 2016 meeting with a group of Russians in Trump Tower as “treasonous” and “unpatriotic”.
In Australia the Murdoch press has chosen the Christmas down period to try and whip up some anti beneficiary hysteria. Jim Parker from the blog Failed Estate calmly dissects the figures and concludes there is no reason for concern.
An accidental tweet from a Government account has led the right to claim the existence of all sorts of conspiracies.
Apparently the government’s fees-free policy will “soak up staff out of McDonald’s”. Education instead of McJobs – Oh Noez!
A couple of recent examples suggests that National’s social media game is well below standard. And Judith Collins is no longer the Parliamentary Queen of twitter.
The Herald’s weekend political comment includes detailed analysis of the Colmar Brunton poll, now a week old, but ignored the details of the mini budget.
Jami Lee-Ross wins the award this week for trying to hold up the passage of a law designed to make sure kids get enough to eat just so he could eat his lunch and then throwing the most amazing of temper tantrums when he did not get his way.
The Herald has equated Jacinda Ardern’s desire to temper the worst excesses of capitalism with the full embrace of marxist communism.
Bill English claims the award for doofus of the week with his incredible statement that the country being 72,000 houses short is not a crisis and Labour should just deal with it anyway.
Donald Trump’s response to news of the arrest of Michael Flynn suggests that charges closer to the office of the President may be close.
David Farrar has continued his crusade against Golriz Ghahraman with a claim of 15 instances where she has by implication deceived us.
From tweeting fake anti muslim videos to supporting the Senate race of an alleged child molester who was banned from a mall because he was so creepy to acting to remove his Secretary of State for thinking that he is a moron to passing a bill that will help the rich and hurt the poor while denying this is the case the Donald Trump White House is a chaotic place.
It appears that Steven Joyce was right about there being a multi billion dollar hole in the Government’s finances. But not in the way claimed.
Elements on the internet have claimed that Green MP Golriz Ghahraman must be a genocide supporter because she once acted as a defence lawyer in a war crimes tribunal.
No competition in this one, Nick Smith for showing that despite the 27 long years he has spent in Parliament he still has no idea how our electoral system works and for claiming there is an electoral convention that simply does not exist.
Gerry Brownlee has surfaced on Radio New Zealand to criticise Labour’s handling of the Manus Island refugee issue. But he seems to have forgotten that the proposal offered by Labour is the proposal originally offered by National.
National is trying to spin that Labour has adopted its position on re-entry of the Pike River mine. But the Pike River families are having nothing of this.
TVNZ’s board has decided to respond to a massive plunge in profitability by paying it chief executive a bigger salary package and a large bonus.
Herald lifestyle columnist has published two recent opinion pieces, the first wondering if Jacinda Ardern will be able to address the many and varied problems the country faces and the second suggesting that the Government is under the control of the extreme right. Can he please make up his mind.
The award for doofus of the week this week goes to David Bennett for one of the most nonsensical speeches Parliament has ever seen.
The briefing to incoming Housing Minister Phil Twyford shows clearly that a crisis in housing developed under National’s watch.
More trouble for Donald Trump as it is expected someone in his camp will shortly be charged with offences by the special prosecutor Robert Mueller.
Kiwi of the year nominee and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has been ruled ineligible to hold his seat and the Liberal National Government has lost its majority.
Steven Joyce had a bad day yesterday. His claim that National’s use of one of Eminem’s song was “pretty legal” was shown to be anything but. And he stuck to his claim that there was a $11 billion dollar hole in Labour’s budget, casting doubt either on his honesty or on his competence.
It seems that National’s use of Eminem’s song lose yourself was not so legal.
Dunedin hosts a celebratory graduation ceremony for discarded labour.
“Anyone else feeling for Harvey Weinstein?” – Sean Plunket
A guest post by Swordfish on the implausibility of the claims by Dr Claire Robinson’s odd claim that the 2017 election result was a win for the status quo.
Cameron Slater and friends and clients are in the High Court defending a claim that he defamed three health researchers. They tried to have the case kicked out but failed. The judgment makes for an interesting read.
The Opportunities Party’s election campaign Communications Director and recent appointee to the Broadcasting Standards Authority has had their election day tweets referred to the police.
Another gun massacre has occurred in the United States. And the well worn excuses and justifications by the right and the gun lobby are again being used.
The Herald has offered a number of opinions this weekend saying that Labour forming a coalition with New Zealand First would be a very bad thing.
During the election campaign elements of the farming community protested the possibility of a water tax and of farming being in the ETS on the basis the sector could not afford it. In awkward news it has since come to light that the Chief Executive of Fonterra and senior executives are being paid huge salaries.
National has created the perception that it is a better manager of Government than Labour and is suggesting that it is more compassionate. Neither claim is true.
John Armstrong has come out in the Herald swinging wildly and claiming without evidence that Jacinda Ardern’s campaign has stalled, and criticized her policy positions but because he thinks they are only a bit better than National’s.
